(Note to audience from Marilyn: We apologize to the many listeners who were unable to get into the discussion last night. The participation exceeded our expectations and the service we use allows for limited space. We will ask Sally to join us again soon. Watch the seminar schedule for more information.)

History Behind this Book: Sally said writing the book Eat Fat Lose Fatwas an interesting experience because the publisher contacted she and Dr Enig and asked them to write this book. (Both Mary's and Sally's previous books had been self-published, Mary is the author of Know Your Fats and she co-wrote Nourishing Traditions with Sally Fallon who published the book under her own publishing company.)

. The publisher of Eat Fat Lose Fat was looking specifically for a scientist to be a part of the writing and research. Dr. Mary Enig has been a scientist of renown in the arena of fat and lipid research and noted for her knowledge about coconut oil in particular. So Sally and Mary were the authors of choice for the book the publisher had in mind.

It should be noted that Dr. Mary Enig, one of the first scientists, some twenty-five years, ago to believe that trans fats were harmful. She published a paper questioning the safety of trans fats and concluded her paper by calling for more research about these fats.

Since the story behind why the harmful nature of trans fats was suppressed for many years is complicated, and well covered in the book, we will summarize the main conclusions about fats.

Trans fats: They are artificially made fats through man made processes that change the structure of the fats so the body can not use them effectively. Hence trans fats contribute to illnesses in our bodies and the government, as of January 2006, is requiring trans fat content of commercially baked goods to be labeled. Among other things, trans fats cause inflammation and depress our immune systems. Examples of trans fats include most (if not all!) commercially processed foods and anything that is partially hydrolyzed. Canola oil is now hydrolyzed and contains the lowest number of saturated fats. Marilyn Moll, hostess, suggested that the presence of trans fats and hydrogenated fats in commercial baked goods makes a good argument to avoid most commercial baked good and bake your own!

Saturated fats: Contrary to popular myths promoted widely in books, magazines, and scientific journals over the last 30-40 years, these are the GOOD fats!!! Among other things, these fats decrease inflammation and boost our immune systems. Examples of saturated fats are butter, animal fats, olive oil, and coconut oil. A word of caution here: our bodies need a VARIETY of fats! Do not just use one kind of saturated fat for all our your cooking. This is critically important and was strongly stressed by our guests. More information is at the westonaprice.com website under an article called "The Oiling of America".

Coconut Oil: This fat's molecules are shorter than other fat molecules, which basically means that our bodies use them immediately for energy and do not store them as fat cells. This oil helps to increase your metabolism and is great in weight loss.

There are many sources of coconut oil on the market. Extra virgin coconut oil will have more of a coconut taste, whereas refined coconut oil is tasteless. This oil can become a solid if it gets too cold, usually below 76 degrees it becomes more solid. Try keeping it on top of your refrigerator to help keep it soft or liquid.

Animal Fat: Butter and other animal fats are very high in the vitamins A and D critically important micro-nutrients for children and pregnant or lactating women. DO NOT use margarine!

Questions (Most all questions were submitted by email ahead of the seminar, sorry audience, we ran out of time to open up the discussion.)

1. What makes your "coconut" diet different? The Eat Fat Lose Fat diet stresses nutrient-dense foods that are high in vitamins A and D and other important micro-nutrients needed for good health. Some examples are liver, fish eggs, eggs, cheese and raw whole milk.

Dr. Enig pointed out that most soy products should be avoided unless they are in a fermented form. For more information about the harmfulness of soy products and soy oil consult The Whole Soy Story or the article ISRAELI HEALTH MINISTER ISSUES SOY WARNINGfor more information.

The book EAT FAT LOSE FAT is more than a "diet" plan but instead is a way of eating for life. The "diet" is safe for everyone and can be very beneficial for pregnant or nursing mothers. (Remember to try not to loose weight in this stage of life!)

Sally warned that if you have been on a low-fat diet, start by introducing coconut oil slowly and gradually in small amounts so your body can adjust to the change.

2. Please comment on other popular weight loss diets and contrast them with your program. In the book, Eat Fat Lose Fat , the authors evaluate popular weight loss programs. Here is just a summary of their evaluations- be sure to read the book for more information:

Weight Watchers: Leaves a person feeling hungry, because it is very low fat which causes the dieter to drop the diet.

Atkin's Diet: Causes carb cravings and is very low in nutrients.

Zone Diet: Is not based on any science and it is very difficult to stay on this diet due to specific cooking instructions.

South Beach Diet: The authors feel this diet is quite harmful because there are no saturated fats recommended or used, instead, the authors recommend vegetable oils (excessive amounts of polyunsaturated fats) and lots of protein is consumed, which can be very dangerous for your health.

3. What changes can I start to make to my families diet that would be most helpful?

Sally suggested the following changes are both cheaper and healthier for you:

1) Use butter instead of margarine 2) Start using bones in cooking- make soups 3) Make your own salad dressings. Commercial dressings are mostly made from inferior quality oils such as soy oil. 4) Stop using expensive breakfast cereals which are highly processed and devoid of most nutrients and switch over to oatmeal.

4. Could you explain why you recommend raw, whole milk? Raw milk, is loaded with many nutrients and beneficial microorganisms when it comes from grass-fed cows, and helps our bodies get rid of bad bacteria which are lost when the milk is pasteurized! Pasteurized milk is twice as likely to cause illness than raw milk according to government statistics! Cows, kept in confinement for commercial milk production, are not healthy cows and require significant medical interventions, unlike grass-fed cows producing raw milk. Check out the following website for more information about raw milk: http://www.realmilk.com or the book The Untold Story of Milk

5. Could you explain why you recommend cod liver oil? While not the best tasting oil, cod liver oil contains vitamins A and D and omega 3 fatty acids, which protect our bodies from heart disease and cancer. You can either take this oil in liquid form (for children, try juicing half of a fresh orange with the oil) or in capsule form. Recommended brands and resources are found in the back of Eat Fat Lose Fat

6. What do I do if my doctor wants me to start taking drugs to lower my cholesterol level? Be sure to read the book The Cholesterol Myth and the article "The Oiling of America" which can be found at http://www.westonaprice.org.

Contrary to what is popular belief in our society, women are at NO greater risk of heart disease no matter what their cholesterol level! Read Eat Fat Lose Fat for the research behind this claim. In fact, elderly women need need a higher leve of cholesterol to promote long life. Young men need to make changes in DIET when their cholesterol levels reach 350 or higher.

Diet changes, NOT medications associated with harmful side effects, is the best way to lower cholesterol! The book goes into much more detail into why high cholesterol has been unfairly vilified. Dr Enig discussed being at a meeting where the "magic" ideal 200 level for cholesterol was determined, and this decision was based mostly on promoting pharmaceuticals rather than good science. Sally mentioned many harmful side effects associated with statin drugs and the fact the preponderance of unnecessary cholesterol lowering drug consumption could contribute to a "bankrupt" Medicare.

7. How can I find a video presentation of some of your cooking techniques? At Sally's website: http://www.westonaprice.org, among other things, contains a DVD of Sally's seminars and a schedule of her upcoming seminars. Be sure to also check out membership in the foundation which includes their magazine subscription, with a number of helpful resources.

Disclaimer: The above information is offered for your entertainment and consideration and is not designed to take the place of your medical doctor's advice, but is offered as information to consider. Before making any dietary changes, please consult with your docto